September 2019

Hero?

What is a hero? Is it someone famous, wealthy, known by millions, etc.? The dictionary’s definition is, “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Probably your definition of a hero may be different than mine or even the dictionary. We all have our own thought of what a hero is to us. But most people if you were to ask them who their hero was they would have someone. My definition of a hero is someone that is close to God. And when you are around them you feel the love of God shining through them. It doesn’t mean they are perfect but that they are striving for being the best person they can be with the help of God.

Life changes…

Life changes so quickly!! We have lost another friend. In one weekend we lost two friends. This friend has lived a long life and was a very special lady. She was an encouragement to all. It would be hard to even put down on paper what she meant to all of us. She was so kind and loving and accepting of all. Thankfully she went peacefully and in a position she was very familiar with, prayer.

She was at our church for many a year. But then moved away a few years ago so she could be near her family. She came for a visit recently and it was so nice to see her. As I ponder how she looked she didn’t really look any different, she looked great. I am so thankful we all got to see her one last time and that we got to see her how we remember her, full of life.

Homeschooling

I remember years ago as I was struggling to homeschool my children. It seemed that there was so much work that was given, especially in math. There were so many problems to accomplish in a day that it would take up most of the morning. It was tough and discouraging.

So as a homeschooling mom and Ruth being a retired teacher she was helpful. I remember when she told me that as a teacher they never finished books. She shared with me that they never did every math problem in each lesson. That took such a stress off of me. I would push my kids way beyond what was necessary so that we could finish the book. And I guess mostly we still finished the book but we would skip some parts, especially in math. What this special lady said to me helped my children and me.

My children

She so much cared for each one in our family as well as everyone around her. When she was here for the visit recently she told me how she still had Valentine’s card that my son, Michael, gave to her. She treasured it. She got to tell my son as well, which was a blessing to him as he heard the news of her death. Many years ago Michael remembers getting a letter from her that was in the shape of a fish he has fond memories of her. She was so caring.

Jeffrey, Aaron, and Caleb also remember getting letters from her. When I asked each one of my young people what they remembered about Ruth, the letters she wrote was their first response. The other thing that stuck out in their minds was when she would preach. She always gave out a paper to each one of the children with 3 or 4 words on it. They were to keep track of how many times she said those words. Then after the service, she would count them and see if they got all the times that she said them. During the week they would get a little card from her with compliments on how they did. It was special to them.

She loved children and helped out at many Vacation Bible Schools. She told the Bible stories and the kids just loved it. One of the things that Jeffrey and Aaron remember is that before she would tell her story she would tell all the children to look at her and stay looking at her. She would point to the bridge of her nose and tell them to keep their eyes there. When someone would quit looking at her she would stop talking until everyone’s full attention was on her.

She also headed up a family class at our church when there were not enough kids to have a division. All the families with children gathered together and she taught them all. She was able to reach from the youngest to the oldest. There was a presence about her that drew everyone’s attention without her saying a word.

My daughter does not remember as much about her as she was younger but one thing I remember is how she opened her home for a baby shower for my daughter. She opened her home many times for many people.

Elderly

When we first got to know Ruth she was elderly, in her 70’s. But she had a burden for the elderly. She faithfully planned a service once a month at the local care center besides visiting there other times during the week. It seemed to me that even though she had a heart for all people that the elderly had a special place in her heart. I don’t think she really considered herself elderly. She kept her mind until the end and even was still driving, not many can say that.

The other thing that she did was memorize scripture. She could quote whole chapters from the Bible. When she would go to a care center she would often quote from memory large portions Scripture. I can’t remember what it was now but I do remember her quoting a lengthy portion from Scripture for a sermon once. It was so amazing to watch.

Music

Ruth loved music. She never wanted music to be left out. And she loved to sing. There was just one problem. She could not carry a tune and she had no problem admitting to the fact. Although she could not carry a tune I can say it still was not that difficult to sing next to her because she did not sing all over the board like some that can’t carry a tune. She pretty much stuck to one note or maybe two. But it did not stop her from praising the Lord. I, along with many others, are looking forward to the day when we are before the throne of grace and we get to hear the most melodious voice of Ruth. She will be singing with such gratitude to God for His love and mercy.

Being that Ruth was a teacher she was a planner. She even had a plan for her memorial service. Planned out was the songs she wanted, the speaker, the players, the singers, and some of what she wanted said. My son, Caleb and I had the honor of being on her list to sing. We added in my daughter, who Ruth never got a chance to hear sing. When I was asked if we would be willing to sing, I told them how can I say no? It was a great honor.

Praying

She was a praying woman, a person of great faith, and she prayed for many!! I can’t imagine how much time she must have spent in prayer. But it had to be a lot because she prayed for so many people. I believe that is one reason she lived to be almost 96 years old. She trusted God implicitly; at least that is how it seemed to me. I’m sure she must have had her time of worry but she sure didn’t show it.

Prayer is the key that opens the storehouse of heaven where God is waiting and willing to pour out His blessings into our lives and Ruth knew that. Even at the end of her life, she was found kneeling by her bed. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the last thing that she was doing before she died was praying. And I believe all her prayers will ascend before the Father continually even though she is resting until He comes.

Hero

To me, Ruth was a true hero. She never looked at herself as a hero or even considered herself anyone special. But what made her a hero to me was her connection with Jesus. She reflected the character of Jesus to those around her. Was she perfect? No, she made her mistakes. But she would also humble herself when the Lord spoke to her heart. Humans are not perfect and we should never put people on a pedestal. But sometimes the only Jesus people meet is the Jesus that is reflecting through us. And Ruth was one of those people. She reflected the love of Jesus to all. People felt her love and felt accepted of her. She is resting awaiting the voice of Jesus to call her name. And I know that there are many of us that want to be there when her name is called.

Are you…

So the question is are you ready? Are you reflecting the love of Jesus to others? The connection that we have with our Heavenly Father is the most important connection that we can have. I know that Ruth wants to see all those she loved in heaven with her. But she also wants to see all those she has never even met. That is just who Ruth was, she loved all. What is our legacy going to be? I pray that I can have a legacy of love.

Dear Father,

Comfort those who are hurting. We all miss Ruth but I know her family is hurting the most because of this loss so give them extra special comfort. Thank you for giving Ruth such a long life to share Your love with others. May she rest in peace until You come.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

Draw close to Jesus so that you can reflect His love to others.

Love you all.

Did you know Ruth? How did she bless your life?

Life…

There are so many people that are hurting today. I am sure that as you read this you can think of someone in your circle of family and friends who are sick and dying or maybe has already died.

The older I get the more I realize that life is short. We are not given that many years on this earth to live. For some of us, the time is shorter than others. But nonetheless, we have all been given the opportunity to live for a time. Do we realize the importance of savoring every moment with those that we love?

Family

As I write this I have an Uncle who is dying. It has been hard on my mom, as she has lost her family members one by one. Although I have memories of my Uncle they are very few. We didn’t live close together so did not spend a lot of time with him.

One memory I have is going to my grandma’s and stacking wood. I don’t remember my age but I do remember how much respect I had for my uncle. We were tossing wood onto the stack. My uncle threw a piece and as it landed on the stack a piece came back and hit him in the mouth. It hurt really badly but he did not say a “word”. It was so bad that it actually destroyed at least one tooth but it may have been two. He was so calm about it despite his much pain. It may have been because I was there but it still had an impact on me.

Another memory was when I was so sick with Lyme disease. I don’t remember how far I was into it but he came for a visit. He came specifically to fast and pray for me, he has such a heart of gold. In the two days that he spent with us, he spent most of the time praying for me.

I love him and it is hard to see him suffering. As I write this I know that he may be gone before I actually submit this writing. I pray that God will be merciful with him in his suffering. I am looking forward to the day that I will see him again.

Friends

We have a dear friend, while I am writing, that has passed away. We have known this family for over 30 years. They have been a special part of our lives, although, in the last few years we have not spent as much time together. It seems that when you don’t live as close or go to the same church each week you kind of lose touch with people.

Oh, what memories we have. We visited him a few weeks ago and were reminiscing about things we did together. One of those memories was snowmobiling. When we were younger and only had a couple of kids we would go snowmobiling to a cabin with this couple. There were 3 of us couples that would go once or twice a winter. If I am remembering correctly it was a 30-mile ride to the cabin. It was so beautiful.

We would arrive on a Friday evening. This cabin was not a place that had all the conveniences. There was a generator for electricity. A wood stove for heating the place and a wood cookstove for cooking. There was running water you could have after turning it on but no hot water. There was no refrigerator but that was no problem because there was snow. Our refrigerator was out the back door in the snowbank. Also out the back door was a path to the outhouse. When you went out to use the outhouse you had to scrape the frost off the toilet seat.

Time together

But what fun we had. We would sit around and visit together on Friday evening while we warmed up next to the wood stove. Our family slept upstairs and how hot it would get. But once that fire went out it would get mighty cold.

The next day we would gather something together for a small lunch and then we would go out for a ride in nature. The beauty was spectacular, to be able to look across the snow and see miles of white with the beauty of the green trees. It reminded me of what Christ wants to do in our lives. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” Isaiah 1:18,19.

Sometimes we would eat out on the trail and sometimes come back and eat lunch and then go for a walk. To be honest some of the memories are a little fuzzy but the reality is we had a great time. Then Saturday night we would play games and just had an amazing time visiting.

Those were weekends I will never forget. This man was an amazing person. He may not have been old enough to be my dad but I felt the love of a dad from him. He always wanted to be sure I was okay and taken care of. My heartaches that distance and the business of life kept us from getting together much later on. He will be missed greatly by many but most especially his wife and children.

More remembering

Another thing that we did with our friends one summer was going to Rosario Beach near Deception Pass. My husband remembers this time as being a very special time for him. I know we did several things together but I can’t remember what they all were. But the real special times were just sitting around, in the little cabin they rented and visiting. You could not be with these friends without having a great time. We spent time in laughter! It was always so great to spend time together.

The Lord was important to our friend. He had not been a Christian all his life but when he allowed the Lord to change him, He shined through him. He was always willing to help us when we had a need, which he did more than once. And I know that he helped many others as well. He was a leader in his church and always did his jobs faithfully. I knew that he was in love with the Lord.

How long…

Once you find out someone has cancer the question always comes, how long will he or she live? But what does this question mean and what part of the question is most important? I believe the most important life is eternal. Physically dying isn’t easy but if you are ready spiritually it is nothing to fear. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” Matthew 10:28.

There is no fear of death for my uncle because he is so close to God. He knows that there is a better land. There is nothing to fear when his physical body is gone. He knows in whom he believes. And when the time comes when he goes to sleep he will go to sleep in Jesus. Our friend is now sleeping in Jesus. He has no more pain or worries. Although I know he didn’t want to leave behind those he loved he is now at peace.

So how long will my uncle and friend live? I believe they will live for eternity. Someday soon Jesus will come and raise up all those that have kept the faith. This is the most important event and I want to be ready for it. And I want to be reunited with all those that have gone before me. I am looking forward to my daughter being placed in my arms. It will be such a blessing to be reunited with grandparents, parents, family, and friends. What a day that will be. And I think it is closer than any of us realize.

God has promised us this amazing promise, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words” 1Thessalonians 4:16-17. And I am looking forward to its fulfillment.